We were lucky to catch up with JESSICA SANTANDER recently and have shared our conversation below.
JESSICA, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
This passionate desire to do something on my own within the fashion/beauty industry has been a part of my journey for quite some time, ever since I was a little girl. I can say that my mom and Latina cultural roots profoundly influenced my personal fascination with this world. The big pivotal moment came about after finally landing my digital marketing role after 2 years of job hunting to then feel only numb, disconnected, and unsatisfied. I knew what the answer was but was simply scared to confront the right path that was asking to be created. It was after coming home one night from work that I felt so much drive towards the entrepreneurial world (as I’m an avid podcast listener) that I simply asked my family their thoughts on starting a business. Their reaction was so directly simple, a “why not do it.” There was the answer I knew was already present, and so I devoted a good 3 months to take the pen to paper to launching my handmade jewelry business. Having a marketing degree, I knew I’d commit my after-work time to clarify my brand and how I would build that know, like, and trust factor with my customer avatar. These 3 months then involved market research, customer avatar journaling, setting up our online platforms, and the fun part of designing our first collection. Looking back I can’t believe I was able to take the idea from pen to paper to hitting that publish button on our website. Through it all, if there’s one thing I’d emphasize when it comes to executing any idea, it would be to hone in on your why that will be the backbone of your brand and where/how to find and sell to your ideal customer base.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Jessica Santander, Founder and Designer of my handmade jewelry business, and a dog mom and dessert lover. I launched my small business in December 2018 with a flaming passion to share my love for the world of fashion and, especially, inspire women worldwide to fall in love with the beauty of continuously evolving into their highest selves. Without taking any class in fashion design or jewelry making, I decided to create from jewelry as the means to express my purpose because of the infinite ways one piece of jewelry can be both personal and inspiring. I knew I wanted to take my business one step further in fostering connections with our customers by entailing a story-telling component to each piece. This intentional aspect reflects my own backstory with my love for theatre and acting. From the story-telling message to dainty and feminine designs, my jewelry ultimately stands for inspiring the modern-day women to re-imagine your vibrant joy and through this, celebrate your story in the making. To date, I’m so proud of how far our baby brand has grown through the pandemic. I would have never imagined myself being the face of the brand, hosting IG Lives on a weekly basis, or even discovering invaluable opportunities of collaboration in the digital world pre- COVID. But as the saying goes, it’s through such moments of fear that we become even more fearless and step into our greater light.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
2020 was the year of many pivots and reflection points for many of us. My business recently celebrated our 1 year anniversary and new sales goal at in-person events. Then that’s when the world seemed to have turned off where we all were forced to stay indoors. Personally, my mindset wasn’t ready for this as there were no plans in place to scale only from the online space. This moment was one that cultivated new doors in both my personal and professional paths, but truly the two merged together as I was learning new things about myself as an entrepreneur. I felt the best thing for me to do was to invest in a mindset coach as I had no idea how to go about growing my business. This was the best decision I could’ve ever made as it led to the grand re-branding where it felt as if I deserved to open up the curtains and become the face of my brand. Yes, it’s taken much courage and self-worth to keep showing up as me and for my brand on a consistent basis but it’s also just so fun. Through it all, the challenges, hardships, crying nights, and to be where we are today, it’s been a blessing in disguise.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I feel being an entrepreneur altogether builds up the resilience muscle over time. Yet, there has been an important moment in the growth of our brand where looking back I knew the resilience factor played a huge role. This particular point in time refers to our first tradeshow where we exhibited at AmericasMart as an emerging artist. Yes, I had done a bit of research prior to attending but the actual experience was where all the learning was soaked in. My high expectations were not met but I also knew that with each new experience comes those key moments where you either improve and keep going or just let dissatisfied thoughts hold you back. 6 months after, I exhibited for the second time and it was an entirely different light of celebration. The essence is to not let fear stop you and claim what you believe in.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jessicasantander.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessicasantander_designs/?hl=en
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